Arms Like Jessica Biel

Hi Ladies

There’s no denying the fact that Jessica Biel has one of the most athletic bodies in Hollywood. I also know that I won’t get any objections from Apollo on this fact. He would do anything to get a chance to workout with her :)

Heres an article about her arm workout that we found for you posted at the Fit Sugar site. It lists 7 types of pushup variations that can help you get the arms and even the upper body you want.

There are some tough push up variations in there as well. And for those of you who wont be able to do them just yet, I suggest you stick to the ones shown in images 1, 2 , 4, 6 and 7. If those prove too hard, then do them on your knees. The goal is to at least start doing them.

How many should you do?

You should do at least 10 pushups per exercise with no more than 30-45 seconds rest in between. This rest time is for beginners only. For every one else, limit your rest to 10-15 seconds max.

FJ Challenge: Rest no more than 5-10 seconds between each exercise.

Do the push up variations as part of one circuit.

How many circuits should you do?

Do at least 2 circuits to really challenge your arms. Shouldn’t take you more than 10-15 mins

Ready to get started? Click here to get to the workout

Keep Smiling :)

Layla

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FJ Picks Of The Week

Hello healthy readers. Here are our picks of the week

Exercise

3 Workouts to Improve Your Run

Source: Active.com

The name of the article says it all. From aerobic training to building strength and speed, its got it all. Note: a couple of workouts mentioned, ask you to do some hill running. If you don’t have any uphill streets in your area, put up a 3-4% incline on the tread mill do get the desired effect.

Top 9 Fitness Myths -- Busted!
Source: WebMD
Some things all beginners should know when they hit the gym.

Do Guys Need To Work On Their Butts?
Source: World Fitness Network
Gents, something that you should know on why you should build your butt muscles

Health
Knowing cholesterol numbers could ward off heart disease
Source: CNN
Ladies, its especially something that you will want to read. This is exactly why we say you should keep your cholesterol in check.

The Obesity-Alcohol-Depression link
Source: Self Magazine

Another great read for the ladies. Its gives a great reason for why its so easy to over do it on sugar and other fatty foods when one is a bit tipsy.

Nutrition
Spicy Hungarian Goulash

Source: Canadian Diabetes Association

Low in fat, no sugar and good amount of protein. Something to try out.

Motivation
Mind Over Matter. And Feet.
Source: Diary of A Reluctant Athlete
We thought this story was great for motivation and determination because its real. Its not based on some gigantic realization. Its plain and simple – you want something, you go for it and you achieve it!

Enjoy the great info people.

Stay Fit

Apollo

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Taking A Break From A Healthy Diet. How Soon Is Too Soon?

So you’ve been good the whole week. You’ve eaten healthy meals and have managed to stay away from all those things that can slow down your progress. Now you wanna reward yourself with a few big macs and some sugar filled treats. You’re thinking “How much harm can they do to my one week of healthy eating” right? Well, loads actually.

Although its amazing that you’ve stayed healthy for one week (especially if you just got into healthy eating), its not ok to take a weekly break from a regular healthy diet.

Here are my top 3 reasons for not taking a break so soon

Your body just started burning up those excess calories. You spending a day or two, tanking up on alcohol and junk food treats, can easily add 3000-4000 extra calories to your diet. This may sound impossible but given that just a double whopper has around1400 calories, you can easily pile on the excess without even realizing and end up right back at square 1. Not somewhere you wanna be when you are trying hard to get fit

Your cravings will never stop. When you are regularly eating junk food, even if it is on a weekly or a fortnightly basis, you’ll keep on wanting more of it. Which means that it will be harder for you stay true to your cause.

You are more likely to give up healthy eating. A break from healthy eating can easily turn into a permanent vacation. People tend not to even realize how this happens. One day they’re just thinking they’ll indulge themselves for one more day. Then 5 months and 10 pounds later, they’re still indulging. These people aren’t weak, its just human nature - The deeper you get into something, the harder it is to come out.

So when should you take a break? I say once a month is good. If you spend 29 days eating healthy and exercising, chances are that one day of heavy eating wont change a lot of things. But even then, be careful. Its really easy to extend your break.

At the end of the day you totally should take a break. Like I’ve said before, you’re doing all of this health stuff to enjoy life. And part of the enjoyment comes from indulging these things once in a while. But that’s what it should be once in a while.

Stay Fit

Apollo

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The Any Where Toning Circuit For Intermediates

Hi Guys,

As soon as we posted the beginner circuit yesterday, we got a lot of messages on twitter asking us to post something that would be suitable for those who've graduated from beginners to being regular exercisers. These are the people who aren't advanced, but also cannot be considered as beginners. If you fall in this category, below is a circuit that we have tailored just for you.

-Shadow boxing warm up 5 mins

-30 Squats

-30 Pushups (on the knees for ladies only)

-40 Situps

-30 Tricep Dips

-Rowing Machine, or Running 10 mins. You can use the cycle option if you have knee or back problems. MINIMUM PACE: 60% of your top speed

Thats your circuit. It should take you about 25 mins max.And this time includes warm up. Do not do it any slower than this. The whole idea of a circuit is for it to be demanding. Only then will you see the results on your body. 

FJ Challenge: Do the circuit under 21 minutes

To speed up your sexy toning process do the circuit at least twice to make it a great 40-45 min workout.

Keep Smiling :)

Layla

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A Beginner Workout Circuit For Anywhere You Go

At Home, in a hotel or at the gym; below is a no nonsense quick workout that you can do anywhere to get closer to your goals of looking and feeling great.

-Shadow boxing 3 mins. Move around like Rocky and throw a few punches to get you warmed up.

-10 squats

-10 pushups (you can do them on the knees as well)

-15 sit ups

-10 tricep dips

-Rowing machine, cycling, Light running or stationary running 5 mins

And thats your beginner circuit. It shouldn't take you more than 15 mins to complete.

FJ CHALLENGE: To become a real FJ Super Star, do this circuit one more time and feel really good about challenging yourself.

You can combine this circuit with your current beginner exercise plan or do it on its own 3 times a week. After a few weeks you will be stronger and ready to move on to the next stage.

Keep Smiling :)

Layla

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Apollo's Daily Diet, Part 2 - Your Questions Answered

Ok. As expected we’ve already got some questions about my meal plan. Trust me its extremely easy to follow because it doesn’t require the ingredients you can only find on Mount Olympus. Nor does it require years of discipline and ninja focus. Its all about timing and eating healthy. Lets point out some things about this plan so that you understand the whole thing better.

You don’t have to eat 8 meals a day. You can make do with 5 or 6. The whole point is not to over eat in a single sitting and keep on eating through out the day. This keeps you active, speeds up your metabolism and also makes sure you use whatever you eat. Each meal or snack should just be enough to satisfy your hunger. If you can achieve that with 5 or 6 meals/snacks, then good for you. If you are active though, your body will automatically demand more.

No, my meals timings are not absolute. It all depends on when you wake up and when you go to bed. Just because I have my first meal at 9am doesn’t mean that you need to wake up at 9. Make it easier for yourself. Adjust the meal intake to your own daily timings.

No, protein shakes are not only for body builders. Proteins are required for muscle repair and muscle building. If for any reason you cant get enough protein from your food, then protein shakes are an ideal way to provide you with it. Just one scoop can provide you with 23 gms of the stuff. You don’t have to drink the shakes if you are getting enough proteins from your other meals/food. But if you aren’t then drinking this wont make you look like a muscle maniac. Note: Protein shakes should be used as a snack in between your other meals. You should not replace your solid meals these things on a regular basis

Yes, my diet is low in fat. Actually its low in saturated fat. That’s the fat that we don’t need. It’s the kind that hides our true sexy selves behind a layer of flab and also causes heart trouble. That doesn’t mean that you have to go completely fat free though. Use low fat options and restrict your saturated fat intake (always mentioned on the food label) to less than 16gms a day for women and 20 gms a day for men. Of course if you’re trying to tone up, then for optimal results I would go even lower. But the above should give you a good measure to see if you’re over doing it on the fat.

No I don’t eat processed carbs and sugar on a regular basis. I stay the whole grain course. This has done wonders for my digestive system and helped in reducing my cholesterol and triglyceride count. I also have amazing energy that lasts me the whole day. Most importantly, whole grain carbs don’t mess around with my sugar levels. For those of you who are not regular exercisers, you should definitely stay away from processed sugar. Because chances are you aren’t going to use that sugar which will cause it to become fat and lead to other health problems.

Yes, I do have an occasional junk food fiesta. But that’s what it is – occasional. We are all human and sometimes we just feel like having stuff. You all should too. But keep it as an occasional thing. You will even enjoy it more.
 

Yes, I keep my meals light in the evening. I don’t like going to bed with a stomach full of carbs. I’m not going to be doing any activity for the next 8 hours so I choose not to eat food that is meant to provide me with energy. I do eat fruit immediately after my workout to replenish my internal energy source though. The natural sugar in the fruit does that for me.

 

Now that you have a better understanding of things, give the meal plan a go and see how much it works for you. Im sure it will keep you happy. And I would love to hear about that. So leave me your comments. 

 

Stay Fit

Apollo 

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Apollo's Daily Diet

Lets get straight to it. What do I eat and how do I make sure I eat to stay healthy and fit? I get asked this Q all the time. So today I thought I’d share my meal plan with you.

Its got 3 proper meals, and then a lot of little snacks that I keep having through out the day. Before you read on, I need you to understand one thing. I do not slave away all day preparing these snacks. It literally takes me seconds. So do not think that I am a freak of nature who spends days preparing these meals. It’s just not possible and not at all practical to do that. All my snacks are off the shelf. Now that we’ve cleared that up, lets read on…..

9 am breakfast - Protein shake
I’m not one of those people who can eat early in the morning. Plus like the most of you, I don’t really have time to make an elaborate breakfast. But at the same time I know I need my nutrition. What better way to do that than starting out with a protein shake. Its on the go, it doesn’t take me ages to prepare and above all its what my muscles use to build and repair themselves.

11am mid morning snack – Oatmeal
This is when my eyes really open up and I am fully awake. By this time my body usually signals me to get some energy for the day. Oatmeal is the clear choice. Its got fiber, its low in sugar, has very little fat and has quality carbohydrates. Plus it’s a natural way to reduce cholesterol.

1:30 pm lunch – A mix of everything
I don’t really stick to one kind of set meal. No one should. I usually choose a combination of the below foods for my lunch

Chicken - grilled, cooked or roasted
Fish - cooked, steamed, roasted or grilled
Vegetables - cooked or roasted
Lentils – cooked
Lean minced meat – cooked
Whole grain pasta or wild rice (helping size about the size of my fist or hand if I’m really hungry)
Whole grain bread (a couple of slices)

4:00pm post lunch snack – Wheat Crackers, nuts or fruit
By this time I start getting the munchies. Wheat crackers are something that I’ve really started to like. But some days I go nuts with nuts :) While I usually have fruits post my workout, on some days I go with a banana, apple or some plums

6:00 pm pre workout snack – small sandwich
This is really a mini sandwich since I don’t want to throw up during my workout. I usually have a slice of bread with some turkey. Or if I’m short on time I just go with what I eat as my post lunch snack.

8pm post workout snack - fruit 
Now that I’ve used up my energy working out, I have some quality sugar in the form of berries or a pomegranate to bring back my glycogen levels. Don’t worry about what glycogen is. I’ll be explaining that in a later post. For now just know that after your workout its good to have some fruit.

8:30 pm dinner – Chicken, turkey or fish
At night, I like to keep things simple. I don’t like going to bed with a stuffed feeling. So a simple cooked or grilled meal does the trick for me.

10:30 pm post dinner snack – Protein shake
I finish the day with what I started - my nutritious shake. A lot of us don’t realize that protein is what feeds our muscles. And they sometimes don’t have enough of it. Well they should. After all its what works its magic on the muscles.

So there you go. That’s my meal plan. Sure there will be some obvious questions like why protein shakes, why so many meals. Don’t worry. I’ll be sure to address all those Qs and more.

If you do have other Qs however, be sure to ask them through your comments and I'll be sure to answer them

Stay tuned and Stay Fit

Apollo

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5 Sure Shot Strategies To Get You Exercising

Now a days you hear so many excuses from people about why they cant exercise. From the regular ones to the most elaborately thought out ones; believe me I’ve pretty much heard em all.

But there is hope for these people. After all they’re making the excuses because deep down, they do care about becoming healthier. They just need that last bit of motivation to get going. And we're here for them. Below are some very simple strategies for people to start making their transformation into the healthier and sexier version of themselves.

Start with 10 minutes

Just 10 minutes a day can start making a difference. Pick up those dumbbells and do a few reps. Get on the treadmill or go for a walk. It doesn’t matter what you start off with. Just start doing it. Once you start with the 10 minutes, you will feel so good, that you will wanna do 15. Eventually you will have the will, stamina and motivation to work out to an hour. Just 10 minutes – not the Super Fit workout, but a giant leap in the right direction.

Workout at home

Who says you have to hit the gym to get results. Yes the gym gives a lot of options but that doesn’t mean you can’t do stuff at home that will help you in getting fit. The Shockwave and the Sexy Jeans workouts are examples of some great home workouts. There are so many other things you can do to workout at home. Push ups (on the knees if you’re new to them), squats, stationary running, skipping, shadow boxing, jumping jacks and burpees are all examples of some great exercises you can start off with. So all of you out there who feel they cant leave their kids at home alone, or have just too much to take care of at su casa, try doing some of the above exercises.

Find something that gets you going

If you find the above exercises boring, then spice up your workout with whatever kind of activity you like to do. Pick a sport. Go walk on the beach. Go to a water park and ride the wave pool. You can even put on your favorite tunes and just dance to them for 10 minutes. Anything that gets your body going is a good start. Remember workout isn’t meant to be boring. So get out there and have fun

Don’t go hard from day one

Sometimes when you start after a while or just start off, you can tend to overdo it. This just leads to insane muscle soreness. Now if you can’t move your body for a week, then for sure you are never going to go to the gym again. It gave you nothing but pain! A lot of people quit working out because of this reason. So keep your fitness level in mind when you start and challenge yourself accordingly.

Remind yourself of who you really are

You are not that unfit person behind a layer of fat, who just watches other people enjoy the simple pleasures of life. You’re a healthy, sexy individual who can be the change you want to be. Keep telling yourself that. Use the same strategies to motivate you that keep you motivated in your love, family and work life. It’s the same concept. Here's something that will help too.

Pretty much all the excuses I’ve ever heard can be blown to bits by the strategies I’ve mentioned above. I want you to try them out and just watch yourself change. Yes! Its that simple. Exercise always is.

Do you feel motivated yet? Are there more questions you feel you need answers to. Ask us. We would love to hear your thoughts and comments.

Stay Fit

Apollo

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Increasing Lean Muscle In Your Upper Body – 4 Super Sets To Perfection

Bonjour,
Today we talk about how we can increase our upper body strength with 4 effective super sets. Ladies, don’t think this article is only for the men. Increasing lean muscle doesn’t mean that you will bulk up like the hulk. We don’t have enough testosterone for that to happen. Infact, increasing lean muscle leads to burning more calories, which means less fat and more muscle tone. Besides, most of us dont even have enough muscle to begin with. With this workout, we’ll have you develop muscle for that strength and tone in no time.

Instructions
Your weight selection should only allow you to do 10-12 reps for each exercise
You will do each super set 3 times , with a 60-90 second rest in between
There will be no rest between the exercises of each super set.

Super Set 1
- Incline chest press with dumbbells or barbell
- Wide grip pull up. Ladies if this is tough for you then try it on an assisted pull up machine as shown here
 

Super Set 2
- Bench press

- Wide grip row. You can even do this on a cable row machine with a wide grip bar as is shown here 

Super Set 3
- Dumbell military press
- Close grip pull downs

Super Set4
- Bicep Curls
- Lying Tricep curls

Do this super set work out at least twice a week for a month to see noticable improvements. They will also land you come great compliments for sure.

Keep Smiling :)

Layla

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A Toned Core - The FJ 3 Kick Move

Ok so we have been a little quiet for the past week. But that was only because we were out making some quality routines and researching on some top notch moves that are sure to leave you looking awesome! One of the moves that we came up with was the FJ 3 Kick move. Its designed to tone and strengthen your core; your lower abs, your butt and even your quads. It’s a fairly simple result delivering move. And since we like to make it fun, lets imagine something really empowering and action packed while we do it.

So imagine you are surrounded by the evil “Flab Ninjas”. They’re in your way, stopping you from releasing your sexy toned core. Well they ain't gonna stop you are they. For you will kick the living daylights out of those Flab Ninjas, to get that core they’ve been hiding from you. Here’s how you will make us proud...

You will perform a combination of front, side and back leg raises, or the FJ Ninja Kicks as we like to call them :) . Also, use one hand to hold on to a chair or something stable, so that you can maintain your balance.

The routine
- Stand up straight and proud, with your feet close together.
- With your left foot on the floor, raise your right leg from the waist and kick to the front, raising your leg to your waist level. Hold for a second and then bring it back down with control. That’s one kick.
- Now raise your leg from the hip level to your side and bring it as high as your hip level if possible. Hold for a second and bring it back down again. That’s the second kick.
- Finally kick back behind you by raising your leg from the hip and go as high as you can while staying upright. Hold for a second and then come back to the center. That’s the third kick that will KO the Flab Ninja standing behind you.

You must perform these kicks a 100 times with roughly the equal amount of front, back and side kicks.

Once you are done, repeat the above routine with the other leg. Although I found just one set of 100 reps each, effective enough in a core workout, do this move at least 2 times for maximal results.

Tips
- Stay upright and don’t bend your upper body
- In between your kicks, when you bring your leg back down, make sure that you don’ rest your kicking foot on the ground. That will make you work a little harder
- While kicking, keep a slight bend in your knee. That will help if you aren’t very flexible
- Do not fling your legs recklessly while kicking. That won’t be effective and can cause an injury as well. Make sure you kick with super ninja like control
- If you aren’t flexible enough, then go as high up with your kicks as you can without over stretching your muscles.

There you go my ninja warrior. Kick the Flab Ninjas’ butts! Teach them a lesson and release your sexy toned core. You’re worth it

Stay Fit
Apollo

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The FJ Picks Of The Week

Hello there you lovely devils you!
Heres our  2nd installment of the FJ Picks of the week; in our effort to share the pearls of wisdom on the net. You can also refer to it as our weekly round up. From how swimming can be a good exercise for women, to new research being conducted to combat aging; this round up has some good reads for exercise, health and nutrition. Enjoy

Exercise
Swimming Can Boost Every Woman's Fitness
A good read that explains the benefits of swimming as an exercise for women. It lists 9 benefits including hearth health, exercising during pregnancy and strengthening your core.
FJ TIP: If you don’t swim that often then be sure to include swimming in your workout regime. It will be a nice break from the regular routine and will work your whole body.

Team Up to Get Fit!
A Self.com blog entry that shares a fun move you can do with your workout buddy. The move itself is a pretty good one actually. It will work on strength as well as endurance.

Understanding and Enhancing Your Core Strength
Since we have also been focusing the last week on giving some core strengthening exercises, we thought this article posted at the About.com exercise section, would also be a fitting pick. It explains what is meant by core muscles and gives you some good exercises for your core

Health
Yoga For Sex
Men you are going to wanna see this Mens Health video. It’s a minute explanation of a study that found yoga improved sexual endurance in men.

Quest for a Long Life Gains Scientific Respect
This article on the New York Times website, is a bit “Sciency”, but its fascinating. It highlights the work and research being done on anti aging. Makes you think if we will soon have an Elixir for youthful life

Nutrition
Don't Over Analyze Your Results
A very good short post at the Nutrition Data blog. Discusses some very simple and effective methods to monitor your weight while making sure that you dont become obessesive about monitoring it all the time.

There you have it folks. Our picks for the week. Read them. See if they are relevant to your fitness goals. If so then practice whats mentioned in them and get closer to acheiving what you have set out to do..

Stay Fit
Apollo
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